From Publishers Weekly
These three tales of the Renaissance by the first woman elected to the Academie Francaise capture "the misery and sweetness of existence." According to PW, "the volume takes its place alongside Yourcenar's other penetrating re-creations of life in historic periods." Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Here are three stylish but contrasting historical novellas from the noted author of Mishima ( LJ 11/1/86) and first woman elected to the Academie Francaise. The shortest, "A Lovely Morning," is a jeu d'esprit in which a boy joining a troupe of actors dreams of the roles he will play. "An Obscure Man" follows the boy's father from youth in 17th-century Greenwich to a solitary death on a North Sea Island. The father, Nathanael, is a splendid creation, a man whose empathy extends even to trees, "victims of the ax of the feeblest woodsman." The book closes on a somber note with "Anna, Soror . . . ," a classically severe study of incest in 16th-century Italy. Recommended for collections of serious fiction. Grove Koger, Boise P.L., Id. .,Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Set in Rembrandt's Amsterdam, "An Obscure Man" is the story of Nathanaël--innocent, open to experience--born like Everyman upon the stream of life. In "A Lovely Morning," Nathanaël's young son joins a touring company of Jacobean actors. "Anna, soror . . . ," the final tale, is an account of illicit passion in the baroque world of Naples.

"An Obscure Man swarms with life. This intricately researched, imaginative, beautifully written tale of a young man's brief life in the mid-17th century is entirely engrossing."--Leona Weiss, San Francisco Chronicle

"In these three stories, [Yourcenar] succeeds in making the essences of these past lives a part of the reader's future through the sheer intensity of their portrayal."--Margaret Ezell, Houston Chronicle







Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

ANNOTATION

Contains 3 novellas, 2 set in Rembrandt's Amsterdam and the third set in the baroque world of Naples at the close of the 16th century.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Set in Rembrandt's Amsterdam, "An Obscure Man" is the story of Nathanael—innocent, open to experience, borne like Everyman upon the stream of life. In "A Lovely Morning," Nathanael's young son joins a touring company of Jacobean actors. "Anna, soror...," the final tale, is an account of illicit passion in the baroque world of Naples.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

These three tales of the Renaissance by the first woman elected to the Academie Francaise capture ``the misery and sweetness of existence.'' According to PW, ``the volume takes its place alongside Yourcenar's other penetrating re-creations of life in historic periods.'' (April)

Library Journal